1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an oral hygiene device and more particularly to a device for removing stains and polishing a user's teeth.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention relates to a toothbrush type of device having improved abrasion, cleaning and polishing performance attributes.
To clean one's teeth, a person will use a bristle type of tooth brush together with a tooth cleaning paste or gel. Teeth generally become more darkly pigmented with age and exposure to tea and coffee. To reverse this darkening process, a whiting agent such as an abrasive is frequently added to the tooth cleaning agent to remove pigmentation which adheres onto the surface of the teeth. While being somewhat effective, the whiting agent in the tooth cleaning agent normally consists of one or more abrasive substance which is provide to abrasively clean, polish and remove stains, plaque and tartar from the surfaces of teeth. It has been found that the abrasive substance in combination with a bristle type of tooth brush removes only the surface stains and leaves dark pigmentation that is located within small indentations on the surface of teeth. Thus, the whitening effect of the whitening agent in the tooth cleaning agent is extremely limited.
Conventional tooth brushes normally comprise tufts of bristles in rows that are secured to a base member which is connected to a handle. The bristles are usually designated as being soft, medium or hard to indicate their stiffness. Usually the tufts are pointed at their outer ends to allow the bristles to clean between the teeth.
Most of the bristles now used are made of “Nylon”, a plastic type of material which are water proof, durable, and relatively hard. In addition they possess a high degree of resiliency.
Prior to using plastic bristles, hog bristles were commonly used. Hog bristles are not as durable as plastic bristles, and will become soft when wetted with water. However, as hog bristles wear down they expose natural abrasive substances that can polish a user's teeth.
Regardless of the material of the bristles in a tooth brush, they do not effectively remove teeth stains whether used alone or together with a tooth paste or gel. Tooth paste and tooth gel normally contain, in addition to other ingredients, abrasive particle. As the hard bristles of a tooth brush are moved over a persons teeth, the bristles either push the abrasive ahead or to one side, or they scratch the teeth by pressing the abrasive particles against the teeth.
What is desired is a tooth brush that is adapted to gently and uniformly remove teeth stains and polish a user's teeth without using a tooth paste or gel.